The National Menorah Lighting has been a tradition since 1979, when the late President Jimmy Carter was given the honor of lighting the candle on the first night of Hanukkah. The event is held on The Ellipse, just south of the White House, where the large open space accommodates both the 30-foot-tall menorah and the 5,000 event participants in attendance. Organized by the American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) and led by Rabbi Levi Shemtov, the event is broadcasted live nationally.
This year, for the second time, the program featured a Gift of Life Marrow Registry blood stem cell donor being introduced to their recipient, as donors and recipients may not learn each other’s identities for the first year after the transplant.
Rabbi Shemtov first explained Gift of Life’s mission and welcomed transplant recipient Marilyn Shafrir to the stage. She, her husband Doron, and their grandson Henry Zeidenweber were excited as Rabbi Shemtov invited her donor, Shlomo Goldenberg, and his wife Brooke to greet them.
The two couples were very emotional as they exchanged hugs, and each briefly spoke about their gratitude to Gift of Life for the opportunity to be connected in such a profound and meaningful way.
Shlomo joined Gift of Life in January 2020 at Yeshiva Bais Yisroel in Jerusalem.
“My friend arranged the drive, and it was a spur of the moment decision for me to get swabbed,” said Shlomo. “It seemed like an opportunity to potentially help someone in one of the most meaningful ways possible.”
In June 2023, Shlomo and Brooke had just finished dinner when Gift of Life called with the news that he matched a woman diagnosed with acute leukemia.
“I knew there were going to be many tests to confirm if I was eligible to donate,” said Shlomo. “I purposefully didn’t get too excited about the potential journey that was about to unfold. My wife and mother were excited and supportive, wanting me to be healthy as I donated.”
Marilyn had been diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia just two months prior, after routine annual blood work showed irregular cell counts.
“My reaction was that this can’t be, it’s impossible,” said Marilyn. “I eat healthy, I exercise, I thought it must be a mistake. It seemed surreal, and of course, is completely out of your control.”
Doctors recommended a blood stem cell transplant as her best option for recovery, and when she learned a donor who matched her was available, she burst into tears of happiness and gratitude for prayers answered.
Shlomo’s stem cells were collected at the Hackensack University Medical Center, then hand-carried by courier to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, where Marilyn received them via a transfusion, and began her recovery.
“This is a blessing and a gift beyond words!” said Marilyn. “Thanks to my donor, he has saved a wife, a mother, a sister, and a proud bubbie. We are all here today to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah – may the miracles continue. I hope for Shlomo’s goodness to come back to him in abundance.”
“Watching my grandfather’s battle with cancer and the sacrifices that my father and uncle made to care for him and look after him, was truly humbling,” said Shlomo. “This is the same level of dedication that Gift of Life provides to donors and recipients. It’s like a miniature Hanukkah miracle each time. The light this organization brings into the world is beyond the scope of one person. I want to thank everyone for being here to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah, and the miracles we create together.”
Shlomo, 24, and his wife Brooke live in Monsey, N.Y. He is a graduate of Excelsior University and is a treasury representative at a financial operations firm.
Marilyn and her husband Doron live in Boynton Beach, Fla., and New York. A retired speech and language therapist, Marilyn is a graduate of Brooklyn College and Richmond College. She has two adult daughters and an adult son, and is the child of Holocaust survivors. She strives to honor her heritage and her family every day.